The New Retail Thread

czsz said:
It deserved better than this.

629230210.jpg


(http://twitpic.com/aeml4y)
Click to expand...

Holy crap!
 
Oh god, now I'm having visions of a Sonic going into the speedway building in Brighton.

I think HBI does great work but a Chipotle of all things? Maybe they just piss me off because I think our local chains are vastly superior but their logo just makes the building looks so... shamed. They could have at least had a faux-historic sign at the least, not a national chain at the best.
 
^ The faux-historical signs always look so gimmicky; it probably would have been an even greater insult to the building and diminished what was really historical about it by diluting the contrast.

Maybe the DTC BID could have forced them to come up with a "local" name a la the Dunkin' Donuts in Harvard Square that had to sign itself as the "Eliot Street Cafe," but that doesn't change things much.

Sad that it will probably never be a bookstore again.
 
czsz said:
Sad that it will probably never be a bookstore again.
Click to expand...

Borders, a mega-chain, couldn't even survive right across the street. What business would an indie bookstore get beyond the bookstore groupies? The bookstore is a dying trend.

Perhaps instead of Chipotle, it could have been a cafe that plays off an old "bookstore" vibe and you could maybe have "coffee with Thoreau," but the Chipotle really isn't that bad. It could have just become one of the dozens of vacancies in DTX.
 
Don't worry Kairos Shen is working on a nice glass box and a bank for that corner.
 
This is an abomination! Why on earth would you put a business that people actually use in a building?! GROSS!
 
The buildings are old, but I don't think all of its past uses were any more admirable than a chipotle. The buildings been around so long because it has been able to be adapted to the uses of the time.

[tangent alert] This reveals one of the issues with historic preservation. Sometimes it enshrines and mystifies the past and just makes it useless. Boston has been able to maintain its distinct character because it has found ways to integrate its past history. I worry mainly that because it is so concerned about the past that it won't be innovative in design or thinking in the future so as to not 'ruin' the past.
 
choo said:
This reveals one of the issues with historic preservation. Sometimes it enshrines and mystifies the past and just makes it useless. Boston has been able to maintain its distinct character because it has found ways to integrate its past history. I worry mainly that because it is so concerned about the past that it won't be innovative in design or thinking in the future so as to not 'ruin' the past.
Click to expand...

This is already way too true in Boston.
 
^It is true to an extent, but I think it could get much much worse in a certain scenario. It's partly an issue driven by the tourism economy. People are being sold on a 'Boston' product of the past and not the city as a place to be on the cutting edge.

note: I am speaking strictly in regards to architecture and urban design. Obviously, I think in terms of innovative companies, research, and people Boston is very much just that. I just wish some of that energy would be reflected in the city as constructed.
 
choo said:
^It is true to an extent, but I think it could get much much worse in a certain scenario. It's partly an issue driven by the tourism economy. People are being sold on a 'Boston' product of the past and not the city as a place to be on the cutting edge.

note: I am speaking strictly in regards to architecture and urban design. Obviously, I think in terms of innovative companies, research, and people Boston is very much just that. I just wish some of that energy would be reflected in the city as constructed.
Click to expand...

This is precisely the City Hall debate. City Hall/Gov't Center/Gov't Services Center symbolized the new Boston. It symbolized that Boston was not stuck in the past, but was rather a cutting-edge modern city. I honestly think this is the root of the problem we're describing now after the failure of this type of architecture. We left this cutting-edge mentality and went back to obsessing over the past and creating this ridiculous historical paradise. There are ways to have a cutting-edge, modern design that recognizes and respects the past, but also shows that Boston is a serious modern city.
 
I think we overdramatize this "problem" here. Boston has great old buildings in great old walkable neighborhoods - even great old ballparks and "ancient" universities - and ever since the devastation of urban renewal we've been (rightly) obsessed with preserving those.

I do wish some of the cutting-edge architecture here could be highlighted more. For example, if the State Center had been built on a parcel facing the river I have a feeling it would have been a major architectural landmark, similar to London City Hall. But, hidden where it is, I doubt many tourists (or residents) even know to look for it.
 
^ Interesting point, data. I tend to agree with you, as my personal taste runs toward hard modernism.

With that said, this thread is about retail. Would people feel differently if this location served chowder instead of south-western food? And I don't have an issue with Chipotle -- I had lunch at the Trilogy location on Wednesday...

For me, the reuse of this historic building comes down to (for want of a better word) dignity.
 
Beton Brut said:
^ Interesting point, data. I tend to agree with you, as my personal taste runs toward hard modernism.

With that said, this thread is about retail. Would people feel differently if this location served chowder instead of south-western food? And I don't have an issue with Chipotle -- I had lunch at the Trilogy location on Wednesday...

For me, the reuse of this historic building comes down to (for want of a better word) dignity.
Click to expand...

Sorry, derailing threads drives me crazy and I've realized that I was starting to take it on a crash course. It's definitely something that I've discussed on here before somewhere in a thread.

I like your point about putting a chowder house (local or even the Boston Chowda Co. because it's delicious!) there. It's a great idea and people would definitely be less opposed. Ultimately, I agree with your final point. Instead of going into one of the bland empty storefronts on Washington, Chipotle chose a challenging historic retrofit and that speaks to the company's values. Dealing with an existing structure, let alone centuries old, is a true challenge.
 
Beton Brut said:
For me, the reuse of this historic building comes down to (for want of a better word) dignity.
Click to expand...

Oh, God. Wouldn't it be great if there was some city agency charged with deciding what businesses are "dignified" enough to go into historic locations? What a complete shit show that would be.
 
^ I'm not suggesting that any governmental agency should be charged with this task.

I frequent Symphony Hall, and don't love seeing concert-goers dressed to pump gas. That said, I don't think they should be turned away, or made to put on a thread-bare sportscoat.
 
Lamenting a certain business being located in a certain building =/= advocating a governmental agency to stop it.

Also, let's not pretend this debate has anything to do with "the cutting edge" vs. "the historic" in Boston. There's nothing "cutting edge" about Chipotle, which is part of the point. This building highlights a unique aspect of Boston history -- and it would be preferable to have something other than a cookie-cutter suburban chain in it (I like Chipotle food too, but that doesn't mean it isn't a dime-a-dozen chain). What instead? Some kind of chemistry-themed juice bar that highlighted how Boston's innovation economy could coexist with historic architecture? (I miss Curious Liquids, which I thought was a great use of the old building across from the State House before it became a Fox studio.) That might have been a better example. I honestly wouldn't have minded some kind of literary-themed coffeehouse, either.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Back
Top